For you gamers who look longingly at the Neo-Geo, but cringe at its steep price, take heart. Many Neo-Geo favorites are being converted to other systems. This fall, Sunsoft has World Heroes for the SNES, and it's a very close representation of the arcade classic.

ProTip: Hanzou has a field day with his opponents by hitting them low, and then trapping them into comers. Follow low kicks with a Hurricane Spin.

Vast Action Heroes

World Heroes is a one- or two-player side-scrolling fighting game that sends you travelling through time to take on the toughest heroes of the world. You pick from eight buffed bruisers to fight your way into the record books as the greatest World Hero of all-time. The fighters you don't pick come back to haunt you as opponents. You can be anything from a sword-swinging woman warrior (Janne), to a maniacal ex-wrestler (Muscle Power), a martial arts menacer (K. Dragon), or a cyborg storm trooper (Brocken), among others.

Janne can use her sword for an improved head tap. When leaping over an opponent, tap B twice and you can score two hits.

You fight a best-two-out-of- three match, and it's a no- holds-barred, bust-em-up bonanza. After beating the rest of the heroes senseless, you have to battle with Gee Gus, a mystical liquid-metal fighter who transforms himself into any of the World Heroes. In addition to regular matches, you can also play a Death Match, where you have to contend with your opponent and a ring that contains mines, electrified ropes, flaming ropes, and so on.

Each fighter has a unique set of special moves, and some of the moves are just as great to watch as they are to execute. K. Dragon calls forth the spirit of the dragon and busts out on the screen with a Dragon Kick, while Fuuma and Hanzou can execute the Ipo Korin Kazan (a sideways slashing body maneuver that creates a human whirlwind). Need more proof that everything from the arcade version is here? How about Rasputin's heavy-handed crusher, Brocken's Grenade Launcher, or Janne's Aura Flame Bird? They're all here in glorious 16-bit color.

Brocken can counter air moves with his Hurricane Arm. Go low on the 'borg and take out his legs.

Along with vicious kick- and-punch moves, you can also block, throw, and deal out some of the greatest multi-hit combos that fighting games have ever seen. You can score four- and five-hit moves like they were going out of style. You may even find that some of the moves are too easy to win with, and trapping opponents in the corner works here, just like it did in the arcade.

Only use Dragon's Dragon Kick when your opponent is already in the air and coming down. If you try to use it when your opponent is standing, you'll land defenseless, while your opponent gets ready to throw you.

Fashion Fighting

The showcase graphics of the Neo-Geo have translated very well to the SNES. All the vivid backgrounds, including ancient Mongolia, a skyscraper scaffold, and a Chinese martial arts temple, are well-illustrated and intact from the Geo.

The movements of the screen-filling sprites are glitchless and smooth, and all the moves are easy to execute. The World Heroes actually seem faster in this SNES version than they did in the Neo-Geo, plus they're detailed right down to their facial expressions.

The sacrifice in this game may have been the sound. Although the SNES tries for a faithful recreation of the music and sound effects from the arcade game, it comes off tinny and muffled. The smaller effects, like Janne's laugh, are not up to par with the rest of the game. Still, you'll be amazed at the way this game looks and plays, even if you have to turn the volume down.

Fistfight Fiesta

The game starts out on medium difficulty, but adjusts if you want to hit the hard stuff. The arcade version is probably equivalent to the Medium Setting on the SNES game.

Janne's sliding kick will pass right under most projectiles.

You'll enjoy World Heroes, even if you never played the original arcade version. Its many special moves and combos helps to further complicate the crowded field of great fighting games coming out this month. Whichever game you choose, keep the Heroes in mind. We all need someone to look up to, even when they knock us down.

World Heroes Downloads

Heroes-r-us!

A mysterious scientist has gathered together a group of warriors spanning across the globe. These eight brave fighters must compete to see who will become the next World Hero, Earth's defender! A conqueror called Geegus is approaching Earth at light-speed, so time is of the essence!

World Heroes is a monster 87-meg cart for the NEO•GEO that brings home the best in one-on-one fighting action. Choose from eight World Heroes, each with their own brand of attacks, throws, defense and special moves. Two players can compete against each other, or one player can take on the rest of the World Heroes in an attempt to save Earth.

Your first choice will be to choose your warrior. Next, you must decide whether to play a standard game, or take your chances in the awesome Death Matches! In the Death Match, you and your foe will be fighting in a ring filled with booby traps like oil, mines, fire, energy barriers and spikes. Don't fail, because you could lose your hair! You didn't think anyone would kick the bucket did you? It should be called a Barbershop Battle, but who cares?! For some of the most intense graphics, music and action in video games, check out World Heroes.

reggie posted a review

Machine: Snes;

Manufacturer: Sunsoft;

Better. Stronger. Faster. Every fight fan who's been waiting for that Neo-Geo favorite to make the Snes crossover can celebrate - their day has come. World Heroes blasts into a flooded market, but it stands up with the big boys. You sure don't have to go far for a fight game these days, do you?

In World Heroes, you use a time machine to fight seven battles against opponents from different eras. Once you destroy those who stand in your way, you face one last mysterious foe. Win the big one, and you're crowned the greatest hero in the world.

Sunsoft has really improved the arcade hit.

For example, you can now select the type of controller you prefer:

the five-button SNES pad

the arcade's three-button version.

You can also choose between a normal fight or an untimed fatal match.

However, every game has its drawbacks. Even though there's lots of great fighting in World Heroes, there are only eight matches. No matter how you increase the difficulty, you still fight each opponent only once per game. Perhaps the addition of multiple opponents would satisfy seasoned fighting fans. Still, World Heroes sends many other games down for the count.

reggie posted a review

The greatest and strongest fighters from all over the world, not to mention past and future times, are assembled to decide who is the mightiest of all! However, when all the primary fighters have been defeated, there is a final ultimate fighter with some surprises!

reggie posted a review

People say:

8

World Heroes is a pretty good conversion of the Neo*Geo version. The voices are clear and all the characters are here. The best part of this game is the Death match, where anything goes. It would be nice if there was blood when you hit the spikes, though. The play control is good for most of the fighters, and the only real down point is that it plays slow. Fighting fans who can't afford a Neo will be pretty happy with this one.

6

For a company to release a fighting game in today's market, it has to offer something really special and World Heroes just doesn't cut it. The game is very old, one of the earlier Neo*Geo titles. While it can be fun for a while, the thrill is quickly lost. The moves are somewhat easy to do but they just don't have much pizazz anymore. It's too bad this game wasn't released on the Super NES a year ago. It could have been a contender.

6

Is this supposed to be a fighting game or just another attempt to capitalize on SF2's success? While the graphics and sound are okay, the game really takes a dive in game play. The moves are nothing special and they don't animate very well. The pace of each fight is as slows as molasses. After a while I just didn't want to finish a fight. I don't know about you, but you won't find me waiting in line for this one!

6

Well it ain't Street Fighter, that's for sure! The Neo*Geo version was kind of fun, but this one got the game play pulled right out of it. The characters look really good and the sound are decent, but with the lack of control and sluggish response, it just doesn't measure up to a good fighting game. With a bit of game play tweaking this could have been a good port from the Neo. Unless you're tired of SF2, don't bother.

reggie posted a review

Manufacturer: SEGA

# of players: 1 OR 2

Difficulty: MODERATE

Available: JULY 1994

Theme: FIGHTING

Eight of the world's mightiest warriors have been assembled to challenge your strength. Move over each and every one to become the champ. In this rendition, all eight characters have special attacks, killer combos, and crushing kicks just like the arcade. There are even features not found in the arcade version like Player vs. Player and three - or five-button controller options. This game sports fantastic graphics and tight control. The option for a regular game or Death Mode is totally intense! See if you can win in both matches to become the best of the best ... or are you scared?

reggie posted a review

World Heroes is a veteran fighting game that's trying to bust from the Neo∙Geo and arcades to the Genesis. The game's not bloody, but it certainly gets bloodied in the process.

World Gone Mad

The setup's simple: The eight original WH brawlers participate in best-two-out-of-three matches. Victors fight a mystery being (who's really no mystery to Neo∙Geo fans), Geeguse.

Your arsenal of hand-to-hand moves and special attacks looks good on paper and in the original arcade version, but they're underwhelming here. Speed (specifically, the lack thereof) kills this game. Compared to other fighting games, WH moves very slowly.

Additionally, the CPU challenger is a cheesemeister's dream. Use a quick repetitive attack that foes can't break in on, such as Dragon's Hammer Flurry, and you can bull your way to the championships, even with the skill setting on Hard. Two-player action is a must... if you must play the Heroes.

The graphics are mediocre. The sprites suffer from the Genesis Blurs, which you can overlook in other games when the action's lively enough. You often lose your characters in the garish background colors.

Be wary of anything that looks lethal in the background.

Launch a long-distance special attack at your peril!

The audio is severe. The music kicks, but there's too much reverb. The effects sound like someone talking and gargling water simultaneously.
What in the World..?
If you like to beat up on a poor, defenseless CPU, go ahead and play these Heroes. If not, there's a good Neo∙Geo game called World Heroes.

reggie posted a review

World Heroes is a fighting game and the first in the four part series, often compared to Street Fighter 2 because of its many similarities. Still, it can be argued that the game simply adhered to the trending style and complied with the demands of the market.

The premise of the game is that a scientist called Dr. Brown has created a time machine which allowed him to “collect” famous fighters from throughout history and have them battle in a tournament in order to determine who is the best fighter of all time. The 8 playable characters are inspired from actual historical figures, such as Jeanne D’Arc and Hattori Hanzou, which adds a new flavor to the game.

Graphically, World Heroes is less impressive than its so-called rival; the animations can seem a little less fluid than they could be and there are also a few glitches with the shadows under the characters. Still, the characters are uniquely designed and easily distinguishable, if nothing else. The sounds could have also used a little more work, particularly regarding the explosions, but the fact that each character has its own sounds and voice can compensate.

The gameplay is pretty much standard for a fighting game, even at the time of its launch. You can perform basic moves with single buttons, and sequences result in more complex and much more powerful attacks. Each character has their unique moves, with pros and cons, which is great for variety. One of the more peculiar aspects is the fact that Hanzo and Fuuma have very few differences apart from their visuals.

There are two game modes: normal and death match. In both modes, the goal is to battle the other seven characters in a tournament, until you finally confront the boss of the game, Gee Gus, who has the power to transform into any of the characters. The death match mode offers a nice little twist; the arenas feature traps and other dangerous elements like electric wires and spikes.

To conclude, World Heroes is an important part of the fighting game genre, and although it has been dismissed by many as being another general Street Fighter clone, it has some differentiating elements which more than make up for its general similarities.